A recent FireSmart ad delivered this message:
Plant fire resistant trees like aspen, birch or poplar, instead of spruce or pine.
Plant fire resistant trees like aspen, birch or poplar, instead of spruce or pine.
The message has profound value, perhaps particularly for people living within forests of spruce and pine.
But as we look into the forests of southwestern Alberta, we might ask these questions:
- Why does this province throw gobs of money into the creation and retention of spruce and pine forests that—even when they survive to be harvested—appear to be worth far less than society's colossal investment in their creation?
- Why does Alberta tempt fate by trying to maintain a costly, high-risk forest, attempting to keep it standing and wildfire-free for a frightfully long and perilous century? Why does this province manage forests in a way that's inherently dangerous?
The 2003 Lost Creek Wildfire and 2011 Slave Lake Wildfire serve as high-priced reminders.
- What did we learn?
David McIntyre
Crowsnest Pass, AB
Shannon Frank, Executive Director of OWC, responds:Fire suppression has undoubtedly changed our forests and we are only now learning how to manage forests in a way that allows vital environmental services, like flood control, to be performed by the forest, while allowing harvest, recreation, etc.
Some environmental services simply cannot be replaced with human engineering.
Does anyone know where the best forest management practices in the world are found? We'd be interested to learn more.
(Editor's note: Here is a link to the Spray Lakes Sawmill Blogspot.
They are hosting an Open House on May 7th)
"May 7, 2014 from 3:00 pm till 7:00 pm at the Frank Wills Memorial Hall in Cochrane, and on May 8, 2014 from 3:00 pm till 7:00 pm at the Hillcrest Fish and Game Hall in Crowsnest Pass. The purpose of the open houses are to present the Company’s harvest plans for the upcoming season as well as outline the general, five year harvest plan. Spray Lake Sawmills Woodlands staff will be available to help answer any questions and gather any participant feedback. Everyone is welcome to participate, even if it’s just to meet the staff and join us for coffee. We are looking forward to seeing you!"
...and for more reading:
http://www.borealforest.org/world/innova/silviculture.htm
Interesting topic. We need ecosystem services from forests. We need wood products. We need jobs. Are we smart enough, and motivated enough, to work out the best balance of these things for people in our watershed?
ReplyDeleteI am encouraged by the prospect of adding the Spray Lakes Saw Mills to our cohort of guest contributors. It will be really valuable to have them as partners in this process.
ReplyDeleteHere's a great link provided by Linda M. Moore from the Finnish Society of Forest Science about management practices ("Restoring naturalness") : http://www.metla.fi/silvafennica/full/sf45/sf455843.pdf
ReplyDeleteThanks, Linda!